Watch: Clint Dempsey scores in USMNT's loss to Panama i...

Watch: Messi scores two more, matches Neymar with four goals

Photo: Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images

Lionel Messi bends his free kick up and over Nigeria's wall to give Argentina a 2-1 lead on Wednesday.

Brazil and Argentina's finest have not disappointed.

Lionel Messi added two more goals to his World Cup tally, scoring at the beginning and end of the first half against Nigeria to put his total at four, matching Neymar atop the competition's Golden Boot standings.

In the third minute, Messi pounced on a rebound off a shot from Angel di Maria, hitting a thundering volley into the back of the net. Nigeria's Ahmed Musa followed with a great goal of his own a minute later, but Messi ensured Argentina had the lead going into halftime. Just before the break, Messi, who turned 27 on Tuesday, turned in a perfect free kick, bending a left-footed strike from long range into the upper right-hand corner to give Argentina a 2-1 lead. The sides traded goals rapidly in the second half as well, with Argentina holding on to a 3-2 win and cementing first place in Group F. Both sides are through to the final 16.

SI Now: Lionel Messi in top form at the World Cup

On Wednesday's SI Now, former USMNT players Tony Meola and Claudio Reyna discuss Lionel Messi currently being in his peak form and the chances of him winning the World Cup this year.

​

Through three games, Argentina has scored six goals. Of the first five, four came via Messi, and one came off an own goal from a free kick taken by Messi. Neymar, meanwhile, has scored four of Brazil's seven goals. No one can say the two international rivals and club teammates aren't pulling their weight.